Where is Otto Hightower in the House of the Dragon season 2 finale?

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As a devoted fan of George R.R. Martin’s epic saga and the masterfully crafted series “House of the Dragon,” I find myself utterly engrossed by the enigma that has become Otto Hightower’s whereabouts. The second season has left us with more questions than answers, and Otto’s disappearance is a mystery that gnaws at the heart of every viewer.

Where, oh where, is Otto Hightower? That question has loomed over House of the Dragon’s second season, and it remains an enduring mystery. The second episode of the season, “Rhaenyra the Cruel,” saw King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) fire his shrewd grandfather Otto (Rhys Ifans) from his position as Hand of the King. In response, Otto declared he was going to leave King’s Landing rather than sit around where he wasn’t wanted.

In our previous encounter, Otto was contemplating his strategic steps alongside his daughter Alicent Hightower (played by Olivia Cooke). His initial intention was to return to the Hightower stronghold in Oldtown, aiding their military and tutoring Alicent’s son Daeron Targaryen. However, Alicent persuades him to journey to Highgarden instead. This is to ensure that the Tyrells and other Reach lords do not align with their adversaries.

Otto’s location becomes a puzzling enigma, as Alicent notices he’s stopped responding to her correspondence and fails to return to King’s Landing following Prince Regent Aemond Targaryen’s (Ewan Mitchell) summons. By the end of “The Queen Who Never Was,” we learn the reason behind his disappearance: Otto has been confined somewhere, but the exact location remains unknown.

Who is holding Otto Hightower captive in House of the Dragon?

In terms of determining where Otto is being kept, we have limited information to work with since the show’s source material, “Fire & Blood” by George R.R. Martin, doesn’t contain any storylines involving Otto’s capture. Throughout the narrative, even after Aegon dismisses him from his position as Hand, Otto remains in King’s Landing until the end of his tale. Therefore, you shouldn’t rely on the book for assistance in this case.

Two significant hints from the series suggest that Otto was on his way to Highgarden within the Reach, and at present, House Beesbury is engaged in conflict with the Hightower family in the same region. Notable for its integrity, House Beesbury once had Lyman Beesbury as its lord, who served on King Viserys’ Small Council. During the Green Council uprising, Lyman defended Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne, leading Ser Criston Cole to accidentally strike and kill him against his Small Council membership token. House Beesbury is now at war, seeking retribution for their late leader.

It appears that our top two possible abductors of Otto could be the Tyrells, who govern Highgarden, and the Beesburys. However, in the book, House Tyrell generally remains impartial during the Dance of the Dragons. At this time, their leader, Lyonel Tyrell, is just a child. After their vassal houses show conflicting loyalties between the Greens and Blacks, his mother and castellan decide that House Tyrell will abstain from the conflict to avoid further fragmenting the Reach. If they indeed took Otto captive, it seems quite unusual.

In my opinion, House Beesbury seems to be the prime suspect. Since they are already at odds with the Hightowers, wouldn’t it make sense that if given an opportunity, they would seize a valuable hostage like Otto? And, it remains unclear as to how House Beesbury discovered Lyman’s murder in the first place. Considering the Green Council would probably try to hide such information, it seems either their message was not believed or someone leaked it. The timing of Aemond’s Small Council receiving a report that the Beesburys have declared war near the end of the season coincides with the possibility that they might have captured Otto while he was traveling and extracted information from him.

Indeed, all these theories are mere conjectures. The only fact we can verify is that Otto isn’t present in King’s Landing, as he’s confined in a wooden enclosure instead of the stone cells beneath the castle. His current predicament suggests trouble. Might it be possible that his situation connects to the Battle of the Honeywine during season 3, where Daeron earned his moniker ‘Daeron the Daring’? It could be that Otto is either exchanged or rescued amidst the events unfolding in the Reach around that battle.

As a gaming enthusiast, I can’t wait to dive into the thrilling world of House of the Dragon season 3, but alas, it seems like I’ve got quite a bit of waiting ahead – not till 2026! So, it looks like we’ll just have to keep guessing about its twists and turns for a while.

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2024-08-05 05:44